1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to communication devices, such as mobile telephones, pagers and personal digital assistance (PDAs), and more particularly, to an exterior surface for such devices which incorporate organic electroluminescent materials.
2. Description of the Related Art
In modem modular digital communication devices, such as, mobile telephones, pagers and PDAs, the external appearance and aesthetic design aspects of such devices are becoming increasingly important both from the standpoint of consumer marketing appeal as well as from the user interface point of view. Such devices are now manufactured with various bright colored plastic housings and are often decorated with designs such as flowers to increase their appeal to consumers. Certain designs of cellular telephones, for example, also offer customization features such as flip covers over the display and keypad areas which come in assorted colors as well as with artistic designs on the outer surface. In addition, various models of modular communication devices may incorporate different sizes and/or color combinations of keypads and have various sizes of display areas, typically liquid crystal displays (LCDs), depending upon the number of parameters needed to be displayed and the type of use for which the device is intended.
Mobile telephones have also included numerous different types of user inputs. For example, keypads may include traditional push switches or rectangular spring biased molded plastic keys, each with or without backlighting.
The popularity of each of these techniques for decorating the exterior of a communication device comes and goes with the decorative trends of the moment. Keypad and other user interface designs are generally fixed when a device such as a mobile telephone is manufactured and substantial expense is required in order to change the design. Moreover, with current approaches to mobile phone user interfaces and aesthetic decoration, there is very little opportunity for a user to customize the external appearance of the phone from time to time after it has been purchased and put into use.
Thus, a need exists for a design by which the appearance of a communication device such as a mobile telephone, can be selectively programmed by either the manufacturer or the user in a universal fashion. That is, it would be a distinct advantage if not only the color and/or design of the exterior of the device could be selectively defined and/or periodically changed by a user, but also the actual user interface, including user input and output designs on the exterior surface of the device. The system of the present invention incorporates such advantages.